Reticent.... A Klingon?

Harrison remained standing while the ambassadors filed out. He saw the Klingon ambassador rise and turned his attention to her.

“A moment of your time if I may, Madame Haqtaj.”

Haqtaj paused. She mentally ran through a list of things that Harrison may want to talk to her about. It was longer than she was comfortable with. How good was Starfleet Intelligence?

As always, the Klingon woman’s physical presence awed him but he refused to let it deter him. “You were unusually quiet during the meeting,” he noted. “Is there something you would like to raise in private?”

Haqtaj held the man's gaze, "Privately? In a Federation Station, surrounded by Federation personnel, not to mention, Romulan, Cardassian, and soon to be Breen refugees? I think not."

She turned to leave but stopped. She turned back, "Captain Sharpe, I represent the Klingon people, while on this station. That means that I speak on their behalf and may take your requests directly to the Council for you. In the past, only recently, we offered the services of some of our ships to support you in tracking down a criminal. In the time I have been here, has the Empire asked anything of you or your crew?"

“It has not,” Harrison conceded. “Not that I expect it ever to do so. That would be to admit that it can not manage its own affairs. There are still those in the Empire, I believe, who have not forgiven the High Council for reaching out after the Khitomer disaster.”

"My own house is one of those," Haqtaj admitted, "though for different reasons. There are broadly two camps; Isolationists and expansionists. The Isolationist believe strength comes only through conquest and independence of the Klingon Empire, that we should not rely or ally with other races at all. The Expansionists, feel strength comes through careful alliance to allow us to expand the Empire's interests and territories, even if it means concessions to our allies. House Matlh is in the Expansionist camp"

"Let me tell you," Haqtaj continued, "officially, the Klingon Government has no comment to make on the events of Gaspar or this new attack on Breen territories. We regret we are not able to lend aid in the relief efforts. I will personally take it as a favour if you do not push me further on the matter."

“Is this the Empire asking something of me?” Harrison asked.

"For the moment, no," Haqtaj replied. "Her attentions are focused elsewhere. The Isolationists refuse to lend aide, and the Expansionists... well, you would probably prefer if they were not involved."

"As for your new and mysterious ship," she changed tack quickly, "Every ship carries a transponder to identify itself. However, transponders can be mimicked or hacked. If the ship's transponder and registration are not matching, I would say you have another pirate at your doorstep. I assume you have sent a probe or a scout out to the ship? Set up some communication with it?"

“Communications are scratchy though Lieutenant Stills is working on clearing them up. I too think we might have a pirate ‘on our doorstep’. Major Temple is preparing a mission to board and investigate.”

"If it were a Klingon ship, we would have sent someone to shoot it down. Federation do things differently though."

“We do,” Harrison agreed. “The other possibility is that Colonel Bannister and his team are aboard. I will not be shooting anything down until I have assured myself one way or the other.”

Haqtaj shrugged, "If my ship had gone missing, I would expect to be attacked on my return, unless I could demonstrate who I was. Even then, I may be called on to prove myself in battle. You Federation prove yourself with Words and Codes, but your true face is only shown through battle."